Christmas was magic. So much hope, love, happiness, giving- I love this time of year! I feel so blessed to have kids and a husband who’s still a kid at heart to celebrate with.

I’m kind of a nut for traditions (which is why I can’t stop obsessing over this… so I can do this with the kids next year. why is it so expensive???).

We started some new traditions, and I can’t wait to add more as our family grows. 

Here’s a couple of the creative things we did this season. There are so many possibilities. Recipes coming. (trust me, you’ll want them)!

more like gingerbread shacks. haha. we’ll have to amp up the creativity next year.

glue, cotton balls, paint, paper plates, googly eyes… the kids were in crafting heaven.

Oh, the food. I can’t wait to post these recipes. I aimed high for our Christmas dinner. I knew if I wanted to start a tradition, it had to be something good. Troy said it was the best meal I’ve ever made. That pretty much made my entire Christmas!

we watched “Christmas Vacation” a few times. There’s Uncle Eddie himself!

Our first Christmas in our cozy little house. I hung those lights all by myself, oh yes I did 🙂 

 Since we don’t have a fireplace and mantel, I was having a hard time finding a place to hang the stockings. It was my 4 year old’s bright idea to hang them along the banister- she’s a genius! Some garland would have looked pretty with the stockings. I’m hoping to add more decor each year we’re here. Little by little…. (Hobby Lobby Christmas sale tomorrow with the gift card my sisters got me)!

 A few months ago, my kids and I were taking a little nature walk at our church. We gathered several pine cones; it was a really fun afternoon. Troy thought I was nuts while watching me wire them together, but here’s what I came up with. I think I’ll add a couple things next year to make it fuller.

More Christmas stories and memories from this year can be found on our private blog: www.rachelandtroy.blogspot.com.

Hope everyone’s was merry and bright.

🙂